September 11, 2000

Women's Soccer Loses Twice

Even after showcasing its aggressive new 3-5-2 formation, the Cornell women’s soccer team could not find the back of the net.

The Red (0-2) dropped its first two games of the fall to the University of Colorado (1-3) and Colorado College (7-0), both by the score of 1-0.

The Buffaloes only goal in its Friday home opener on Friday came late in the 70th minute on star forward Melissa Cartmell’s first goal of the season. Cartmell, the Buffaloes all-time leading scorer, took a cross through the defense from midfielder Andrea Matassa, and tapped it past Red senior ‘keeper Meghan Cauzillo for the game-winner. An impressive Cauzillo had already saved seven shots, but was unable to stop Cartmell’s seventh attempt of the game. The Buffaloes would combine for a season-high 23 shots.

Meanwhile, Colorado goalie Sara Erskine stole the show, sweeping aside 11 shots. After allowing four goals in the her past three games, Erskine played almost flawlessly in recording her first career shutout.

“I was very happy with the way we played today,” said Erskine, according to Colorado’s Athletic Media Relations Service. “I think we stepped it up a notch because it is our home field and we take a lot of pride in winning at home. It was nice to finally get a win. I felt awesome today. I was nervous before the game, but once it got started I felt much more comfortable and as the game progressed, I think the defense got more confident in themselves and in me.”

With five versatile midfielders and two dedicated attackers, the Red mustered 16 shots, 11 of those on goal. The offense’s pressure forced eight corners, but was never able to convert. Sophomore Sarah Olsen and freshman Emily Knight had great chances, but both had three shots denied by Erskine.

Yesterday’s game against Colorado College proved to be little different, as Tiger’s sophomore Rebecca Carroll found the top-left corner of the Red goal in the 72nd minute. Carroll slipped past Cornell defenders on a free-kick from Kasey Clark, and buried it from the top of the box.

On this occasion, however, the Red effectively rebounded and limited Colorado College to only six shots on goal, with Cauzillo stopping five of those.

With more practice under its new system, the Red should soon be able to jump into full gear for its upcoming Ivy season.

“We just want to be competitive,” said coach Berhane Andeberhan before suffering the Colorado sweep. “Their season started weeks before ours, and it will take us time [to be ready].”

The Red travels to Columbia for its first conference game this Saturday, before facing No. 2 Penn State next Tuesday.

Related

The Cornell Greens and the Society for Natural Resources Conservation (SNRC), fear that drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest, in nearby Hector, N.Y., to install oil wells and build roads will cause environmental damage. A year and a half ago, two companies approached the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) asking to lease land for oil and natural gas exploration. The proposal has prompted a chorus of complaints defending New York’s only national forest. The comments are directed toward the National Forest Service (NFS), the government agency in charge of granting the BLM permission to lease the land to private companies. “We think the forests are worth much more standing than cut down or disturbed by resource extraction,” said Jesse Strock ’02, president of SNRC. The Cornell Greens and SNRC held a rally last Wednesday afternoon and performed a skit to inform the community about the proposal. The groups also collected 200 signatures on a petition which they brought to a meeting in Hector, “so that we can say a significant amount of people are opposed [to the proposal],” said Julie Baribeau, ’02, president of the Cornell Greens. At the three and a half hour informational meeting last Thursday night at the Logan-Hector-Valois fire hall in Hector, N.Y., speakers from the NFS and BLM addressed questions from a crowd of approximately 50 people. Among angry locals who criticized the effects oil wells would have on the landscape were fifteen Cornell students, Strock said. A facilitator from the Cornell Center for the Environment opened the meeting and introduced the National Forest Service representatives, who explained the roles of the government agencies, the timetable for the analysis, and regulations and policies they must follow. The Bureau of Land Management manages the sub-surface resources. Before it can lease the land to private companies, the National Forest Service, which oversees the surface resources, must grant its consent, said Martha Twarkins, District Ranger for the National Forest Service. And before the NFS gives its consent, it needs input from the public. “There are components that go into a decision, and the public is one of those components,” Twarkins said. Until now, the NFS has been collecting public commentary on the proposal through letters and meetings. That public input will now be incorporated into an Environmental Impact Statement, a report which examines the possible implications of leasing the land to a company, Twarkins said. The EIS will also include alternatives to the proposal and their potential consequences. A third party contractor, hired by the NFS, will write the EIS. Members of the contractor group sat in on last Thursday’s meeting as well. “They’re not doing this in a vacuum,” Twarkins said, noting the influence public commentary has on the EIS. “The Forest Service works very close with the EIS contractors and reviews steps along the way,” she added. Upon completion in January, the NFS will share the first draft with the public and ask for more feedback. The final draft will hopefully be completed six months later, Twarkins said. The NFS will make its decision on whether or not to allow the BLM to lease the land based on the results of the Environmental Impact Statement. If the BLM then decides it wants to lease the land, it will invite companies to bid and give the lease to the highest bidder. The private company would then be authorized to look for resources, but before it can drill, it would first have to perform a “site-specific analysis.” A law passed in 1947 authorizes that federal lands are accessible for natural resources production. Still, environmental groups remain opposed to the idea of land extraction in New York’s only national forest. “These are our national forests, and the people should decide how they are to be used,” Strock said. “How could we just ignore this?” Strock asked. Archived article by Heather Schroeder

Cornell Leaders for Lazio traveled to Elmira College yesterday to show their support for Congressman Rick Lazio, New York State Senate candidate, who delivered a speech highlighting his plans for education in New York State. Cornell Leaders for Lazio is a diverse group of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Greens who share a general interest in having a “New York born and bred candidate,” rather than focusing on issues specifically affiliated with political parties, said Amy Gershkoff ’02, chair of the Cornell College Republicans. “We had registered Democrats there, and they just wanted to show their support for Lazio,” she said. “We were there to greet him and share our enthusiasm,” Gershkoff said. “We held our signs and chanted ‘Rick, Rick, Rick.'” Lazio outlined his support of school vouchers and merit-based pay for teachers, according to Gershkoff. Among his detailed plans and proposals for education reform in New York State, Lazio emphasized flexibility and accountability, she said. Lazio called for an end to excessive regulation by the federal government yesterday, in an effort to give local school districts more flexibility in handling their own affairs. “He would like school districts to have the flexibility to decide how they can best spend federal funds,” she added. “But he also added the idea of accountability, in terms of making sure school districts that receive federal funds are improving in the areas they targeted.” Lazio also touched on the affordability of higher education, according to The Elmira Octagon. “The cost of college is high and getting higher pushing the chance of the American dream beyond the reach of too many talented young people,” Lazio told the crowd of 200 students, administrators and community members. The congressman advocates a $1,500-a-year tax credit toward the cost of higher education as well as allowing families to make Individual Retirement Account withdrawals to cover the costs of college. Lazio supports a ‘two strikes and teachers are out’ plan, giving teachers only two chances to pass their certification tests. If a prospective teacher fails the certification tests twice, they will be disqualified from taking it again. Lazio also favors a system where teachers are tested regularly for competency and not just at the beginning of their careers, according to The Elmira Octagon. According to The Octagon, aside from The Star-Gazette, The Corning Leader and the local TV affiliates, the college also hosted reporters from The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, The New York Post and The New York Daily News.Archived article by Tanvi Chheda